Analysis of "Blue Velet" Opening Scene

The Blue Velvet title sequence starts off with a blue velvet curtain in the background and the titles appear on top of the velvet in fancy writing. The writing font is elegant and sophisticated, this connotates the velvet as it is normally used by rich and sophisticated people. The velvet sways in the background, with calming music in the background, this gives a mysterious feel as the velvet sways the music seems to be flowing with it.

The next scene dissolves in to a dark blue, which again relates back to the blue velvet. The camera moves down and you see flowers and white washed fences. this gives the impression of a stereotypical happy american neighbour, you see the school children crossing the road and big american advertisments. In the background there is the blue velvet song, this sets a quite happy and upbeat atmosphere.

Then the scene changes to a t.v. where it shows a black and white, possibly thriller film,with a persons hand holding a gun, it cuts to a man outside where he is holding a hose, in the same position that the gun was in. This gives us the impression that something is going to happen, like it would in a film. The hose gets tangled and the man pulls a muscle/has a stroke and falls to the floor.

The observation then changes to the point of view on an insect in the grass, the music turns quite menacing and the atmosphere becomes quite dark. It shows a contrast between worlds were you have the happy world above ground and then a more serious, darker world underneath.

The film then shows a man, which you can tell could potentially be the main character as the camera follows him around, while he visits places. He is in a hospital and the use of blue is used again on the nurses outfit and on the machines around the patient. The character leaves the hospital and the scene cuts to a place in a "forest", an area surrounded by trees. As we can guess by the way he throws stone at previously laid bottles, that this could be seen as his private area that he visits frequently. On the floor there he finds an ear, covers in insects. This can be seen as setting "enigma", the audience is surrounded by mystery and it leaves unanswerd questions. Whos ear is it? What do the insects have to do with the story?